Xyeloblacus longithecus, Huangfu, Wei-Guo, Chai, Hong-Fei & Chen, Xue-Xin, 2012

Huangfu, Wei-Guo, Chai, Hong-Fei & Chen, Xue-Xin, 2012, The discovery of the rare genus Xyeloblacus van Achterberg, 1997 (Hymenoptera: Braconidae, Blacinae) in China, with description of a new species, Zootaxa 3255, pp. 65-67 : 65-67

Xyeloblacus longithecus sp. nov.

(Figs. 1–11)

Holotype: Ƥ, China, Henan Province, Neixiang County, Baotianman Nature reserve (33°34′N, 111°53′E), 14.VII.1998, Ma Yun, No. 986386 ( ZJUH). Paratypes: Ƥ, China, Zhejiang Province, Tianmu Mountain, Xianren Peak (30°21′N, 119°25′E), 20.VI.1999, Zhao Mingshui, NO. 996496 ( ZJUH).

Description. Female. Length of body 2.0 mm, length of fore wing 2.1 mm.

Head. Antennal segments 22, its apical third distinctly moniliform; length of third segment as long as fourth segment, length of apical segment 1.5 times penultimate; length of third, fourth and penultimate segments 2.9, 2.9 and 1.1 times their width, respectively; length of maxillary palp 0.9 times height of head; OOL: diameter of posterior ocellus: POL = 9:5:7; frons concave, smooth; stemmaticum smooth; length of eye in dorsal view 2.0 times temple; occiput distinctly concave; face largely smooth, slightly punctate; clypeus convex, sparsely punctate; width of clypeus 3.0 times its medial height; tentorial pits large, distance between pits twice distance from pit to eye; malar suture absent, length of malar space equal to basal width of mandible.

Mesosoma. Length of mesosoma 1.3 times its height; side of pronotum medially punctate-rugose; precoxal sulcus shallow, with some weak and oblique rugae; notauli complete, deep, crenulate and posteriorly widened and rugose; prescutellar depression long, with 3 carinae, 0.8 times as long as scutellum; scutellum smooth; surface of propodeum areolate, its areas smooth, its medial area parallel-sided, rather slender.

Wings. Fore wing: parastigma medium-sized; vein 1-1A curved; 3-SR+SR1 curved basally; 2A and a present, unsclerotized; CU1b short; 1-CU1:2-CU1 = 1:5; r:3-SR+SR1:2-SR = 3:35:10. Hind wing: 1r-m:1-M = 5:11; 1r-m branched posteriorly.

Legs. Hind coxa coarsely rugose dorsally; length of femur, tibia and basitarsus of hind leg 3.8, 8.0 and 4.8 times their width, respectively.

Metasoma. Length of first tergite 1.1 times its apical width, its surface rugulose medially, smooth laterally, its dorsal carinae complete; second tergite smooth; length of ovipositor sheath as long as length of fore wing.

Colour. Black; mandible, tegulae, pterostigma, parastigma, veins, ovipositor sheath, hind tibia and tarsus brown; palpi, the rest of legs yellow; wing membrane slightly infuscate.

FIGSURE 1–11 Xyeloblacus longithecus , sp. nov. 1, body, lateral view; 2, right antenna; 3, head, frontal view; 4, apex of antenna; 5, mesosoma, dorsal view; 6, first-third metasomal tergites, dorsal view; 7, head, dorsal view; 8, wings; 9, basal part of wings; 10, ovipositor; 11, hind claw. Scale bar 0.2mm.

Variation. Colour of body dark brown to black; length of vein 2-CU1 of fore wing 4.0-5.0 times vein 1-CU1 of fore wing; length of first metasomal tergite 1.0-1.1 times its apical width.

Male. Unknown.

Distribution. China (Henan, Zhejiang)

Etymology. The specific name longithecus is derived from the Latin, referring to the long ovipositor sheath.

Remarks. This new species is similar to Xyeloblacus melanobasis van Achterberg, but differs in antennal segments of Ƥ 22, length of its apical segment 1.5 times penultimate, and length of ovipositor sheath equal to fore wing.